Cleaning implements such as brushes or cleaning pads are often provided with multi-axis pivotal joints connecting an end effecter to a handle to enable selective or continuous adaptation of the angular orientation of the end effecter with respect to the handle according to the job being carried out. For example, certain types of snow removal brushes for vehicles are provided with an adjustable joint allowing a user to select between two configurations of the brush, e.g. a “T” configuration wherein the elongated end effecter lies perpendicularly to the handle axis, or a linear configuration wherein the end effecter is co-extending along the handle axis. According to some concepts, a plurality of discrete lockable positions is provided about a given axis of rotation.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,625,837 (Jiang—September 2003) discloses a cleaning brush comprising an angle adjuster which enables lockable rotation of the elongated end effecter about a single axis perpendicular to the handle but generally parallel to the bristles' orientation. Some other examples of single axis pivotal joint cleaning implements have been taught, such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,280,165 (Sebastian—April 1942), U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,800 (Vosbikian—October 2000), U.S. Pat. No. 6,990,705 (Schouten—January 2006), and US patent application No. 2004/0250365 by Anderson et al.
However, in conventional snow removal implements, end effecter's bristles (i.e. the efficient face normal axis) extend substantially perpendicular to the handle axis, regardless of the selected configuration. Obviously, this limitation prevents the user from performing certain tasks which require the bristles to extend along the handle axis as a prolongation thereof, substantially in a common plane, such as in a broom. Although some existing cleaning implements comprise a multi-axis swiveling joint connection of the universal joint type to continuously adapt to performed job changing effecter orientation requirements, such solutions do not provide the level of effecter control needed in performing many tasks which require transmission of working forces from the handle to the effecter through a rigid coupling joint. This is namely exemplified from U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,115 (Newville—September 1996) showing a ball and socket brush head connection freely pivoting about two orthogonal axes, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,377 (Madsen—August 1988) teaching a swiveling scrub brush structure featuring adjustable friction swivel movement about two orthogonal axes, without enabling quick changeover between user selectable predetermined lockable configurations.